Kyra Sedgwick knows a thing or two about working with family — something she brought to filming her new comedy Bad Shabbos.
“I think we all really respect each other’s artistry,” Sedgwick, 59, exclusively told Us Weekly of working with husband Kevin Bacon and their children. “We all have a similar sense of humor and sense of drama.”
Sedgwick previously shared the screen with husband Bacon, 66, in films like 1991’s Pyrates and 2004’s The Woodsman, and the couple are set to star in the 2025 film The Best You Can. She’s also collaborated with their two children, Travis, 35, and Sosie, 33 — and it’s one of her favorite parts of the job.
Admittedly, the Emmy winner said the generational gap plays a part in their dynamic as actors. “Travis and Sosie’s aesthetic is different than mine because they’re such a different generation,” she explained. “But it all compliments each other and we have respect for each other.”
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Sedgwick most recently shared the big screen with daughter Sosie in last year’s What We Got Wrong, which the latter also directed. A musician by trade, Travis has contributed scores to some of Sedgwick’s projects, including 2022’s Space Oddity.
As for looking ahead, Sedgwick teased that fans can expect to see more from her brood: “We’re doing something right now together and it’s super fun!” she told Us.
It’s no secret Sedgwick cherishes motherhood both off screen and on, making her role in Bad Shabbos a particularly special one. Sedgwick plays a Jewish matriarch in the Daniel Robbins-directed project, who hosts a Shabbos dinner that quickly takes a dark turn after an accidental death.
The comedy made its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2024, where it was awarded the Audience Award for Best Narrative. The film features an ensemble cast of actors such as Milana Vayntrub, Ashley Zukerman, David Paymer and Method Man.
Sedgwick, who is Jewish herself, felt a special connection to her role in this film. “She feels very familiar to me,” she shared about her character Ellen, who some would describe as a disapproving mother-in-law. “I’m certain that I’ve met people like that.” The actress said Ellen’s discerning, and sometimes controlling, nature isn’t exclusive to just her character. “I’m sure my mother is like that to a certain degree, as well as myself,” she admitted with a laugh.
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While Ellen is tough to like at first, Sedgwick points out that the character will eventually grow on viewers. “I think she’s one of those mothers who’s like, ‘Nothing’s good enough for my child,’” Sedgwick said. “But I think the fun of it is that she does come around in such a profound way.”
The actress shared that she paid extra attention to Ellen’s relationship with her daughter-in-law, Meg (Meghan Leathers).
“I think you wanna feel for her plight, or her conflict with Meg, and why it’s so difficult for her,” she told Us, explaining that it was her focus on their dynamic, and her background in theater, that guided her approach to the character. “Coming from theater, I think I had a very specific idea of physically how it would be, musically how it would sound. I was excited about sharing that idea, and it was met with open arms from the cast and from the director.”
Bad Shabbos is in theaters now.
